1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector, to a connector assembly and to an assembling method therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. S63-257187 discloses a connector assembly with female and male connectors that are connectable with each other. The female connector has a terminal accommodating portion for holding female terminal fittings. An outer tube surrounds the terminal accommodating portion. A seal ring is mounted on the outer surface of the terminal accommodating portion at a position inside the outer tube. The male connector has a tubular receptacle and male terminal fittings with tabs that project into the receptacle. The surrounding wall of the receptacle is inserted into a clearance between the seal ring and the outer tube when the connectors are connected. As a result, the seal ring is squeezed in the thickness direction to provide sealing between the connectors.
The above-described connector assembly may be used in a high vibration environment, such as in an engine compartment of an automotive vehicle. Vibrations may cause the connectors to shake relative to each other. This shaking can cause the terminal fittings to abrade and can impair contact reliability between the terminal fittings. The seal ring fills the clearance between the connectors, but may not suppress the shaking sufficiently.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,540 discloses another connector assembly with female and male connectors that are connectable with each other. The female connector includes a housing and a resiliently deformable lock arm extends back on the housing. The male connector has a housing with an interlocking portion at a position corresponding to the lock arm. A lock projection of the lock arm engages the interlocking portion to hold the two housings in a properly connected condition.
The housing with the lock arm is likely to be formed from a resin that has lower hardness than resin of the housing with the interlocking portion. Vibration or heat generated after the housings are connected may cause the lock projection of the lock arm to deform due to creep of the resin resulting from the contact with the interlocking portion. Thus, a locking function may be reduced and may cause shaking between the housings. Shaking can impair the contact reliability between male and female terminal fittings in the housings.
The invention was developed in view of the above problem and an object thereof is to increase the lifetime and operability of the connector.